Business class is cementing its status as the darling of the airline industry, as the major carriers pump capital into improving their offerings. Meanwhile, while data has yet to show a major trend toward loosening corporate policies that limit premium-class air travel, some airline representatives report anecdotally that clients are beginning to let more travelers move to the front.
In its most recently available data at press time, the International Air Transport Association reported that the number of international air passengers traveling in premium classes was up 1.8 percent year over year in June, most strongly on routes between North and Central America (9.7 percent), across the Mid-Atlantic (9 percent) and within North America (7.1 percent). During the first six months of this year, premium traffic growth has outpaced that of economy traffic, according to IATA.
Preliminary data from Business Travel News' annual benchmarking report of Corporate Travel 100 companies shows little eagerness to allow more corporate travelers in those classes. With about half of the 100 companies with the largest 2013 U.S.-booked air travel spend reporting, more than three-quarters said they planned no changes to their business-class policies this year. Twenty percent said they planned to make their policies more restrictive.
BCD Travel's Advito also noted in its 2015 industry forecast issued this month that the number of business-class tickets purchased for short-haul flights is continuing to fall, with nearly all passengers in premium cabins connecting with long-haul service.
Even so, American Express Global Business Travel vice president of global business consulting Pedro Paredes said he's seen more clients, particularly in the competitive professional and financial services industries, "exploring whether they have gone too far in policy decisions. We had one client that initially had asked for ways to drive savings, then the head of HR was looking for us to go in the opposite direction."
American Airlines vice president of global sales Derek DeCross reported a similar trend in those industries, adding that technology firms also are exploring letting more travelers fly business class.
"Technology firms have not been the most generous in terms of what they allow their travelers to fly, but there's more competition," he said. "The pendulum sometimes swings, and there has been a move afoot in certain sectors to focus on keeping their folks productive."
Premium Investment
The three largest U.S. airlines, meanwhile, during the past couple of years have been investing in their business-class products.
Delta Air Lines this year completed fleet modifications that provided full flat-bed seats with aisle access in BusinessElite sections across widebody overseas flights. It also installed full flat-bed seats in Boeing 757-200 aircraft servicing the JFK-Los Angeles International route, with plans for all flights between JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to have the seats by next summer.
"The difference in the products we have now versus what we had several years ago is pretty stark," Delta director of customer experience, planning and development Mike Henny said. "In spite of the vagaries of the economy, we've made some significant investments and tried to stay ahead of the curve."
United Airlines also has made flat-bed seats a business-class standard on long-haul international flights, said managing director of product development and brand management Maria Walter. The airline last month also launched a new food and beverage service for first and business classes within North America, including new sandwiches and wraps and adding Prosecco to the menu, and it plans to begin offering meals in the premium cabin on shorter flights next year.
As they enhance premium-class options, airlines also are rethinking their deployment of three service cabins in certain markets. American, for example, last month announced that it was removing first class from its Boeing 777-200ER planes while increasing the size of its business class. Major airlines outside the United States, including Qantas and Lufthansa, in recent years also have removed first-class cabins from select aircraft.
"Lie-flat seats have transformed what it means to travel in business class, so they have to ask from a class standpoint whether they can do both," American Express' Paredes said. "Also, if business class is as good as first, [corporations] can move their [first-class] travelers to business class, though the trick is making sure there's compliance."
American's DeCross said the airline is making its decisions based on what fits best by market. Its new first-class design on the 777-300ER jets, meant to emulate an upscale hotel experience, is a fit for the Heathrow, São Paulo and Hong Kong markets, while other markets are a better fit for an upgraded business-class cabin, he said.
Even as disgruntled passengers diverting flights over reclined economy-cabin seats are making the news, airlines are making investments into their economy products that also could change the policy equation. Delta, for example, aims to find more ways to differentiate its main cabin to "offer something that's materially different," Henny said. The carrier last month began offering free entertainment in domestic aircraft and two-cabin regional jets and earlier this year added sleep kits and other economy amenities on long-haul flights.
United is evaluating amenities outside of additional legroom for its Economy Plus seating, Walter said. American, meanwhile, will gain more premium-economy space from its 777-200ER reconfiguration.
"By throwing premium economy into the mix, this can make it all a fair balance, and we can see a little more customization in the offerings they provide," Paredes said. "More companies are looking into putting premium into their policy, and it's becoming more of an accepted option."
This report originally appeared in the Sept. 15, 2014, edition of Business Travel News.